Surprising the media, influencers and industry: The launch of Mama Surprise
In a nutshell
Launch a toy mummy guinea pig that ‘gives birth’ to three babies over a period of 21 hours, the Playtime team were asked.
Drive coverage, content, and fame for this brand-new toy from Moose Toys, make it best-seller for Christmas and secure spots on the most-wanted lists for the most wonderful competitive time of year.
No problem we said!
The requirements were huge, but the Playtime team knew exactly how to go about generating excitement for – and awareness of – the innovative new toy, giving it the festive focus needed to help it stand out from the hundreds of other toys competing for a place under the tree at Christmas 2022.
(Spoiler alert: Mama Surprise was subsequently named #4 top-selling new toy*)
Brief/Objectives
Mama Surprise is part of the Little Live Pets (LLP) brand which evokes wonderment, joy and attachment for children. LLP is famous for creating unique toys that come to life – they move, act or sound like the real thing!
We were asked to:
Generate hype and excitement for the launch of Mama Surprise with a heavy-hitting campaign
Secure parent endorsement and position it as the must-have toy for Christmas
Communicate the ‘magical reveal’/’gift that keeps on giving’ message
Strategy
From our experience of repeatedly helping toys become Christmas best-sellers, we knew we had to generate excitement and talkability with key media and influencers from the on-shelf date in July. In addition, this sustained push to drive momentum would guarantee that retailers and the Toy Retailers Association – responsible for curating the annual “Dream Toys Top 12 Toys for Christmas” list – couldn’t miss the impact the mama guinea pig was having… giving it the very best chance of landing on coveted “top toys” lists in Q3 and Q4.
With the cost-of-living backdrop, we knew that a toy of this price point (RRP £64.99) was a significant investment. We therefore focused key messages on the toy’s truly valuable qualities, such as:
Longevity of play and repeat play pattern – this toy really does keep on giving way beyond Christmas Day (don’t forget, it takes mama over 20 hours to give birth to all three babies! The first arrives after ten minutes, with the two siblings arriving at ten-hour intervals thereafter)
How the toy teaches children to care for animals
The unique and innovative surprise reveal when each baby guinea pig appears in the cage with its mama
Tactics
Launched Mama Surprise with playful video content from This Morning’s TV vet, Dr Scott, capturing the moment of surprise and delight while driving key messaging around nurturing animals from a credible and independent voice
Big Christmas Press Show – excited journalists/influencers with in-person toy demos to wow and trigger action
Partnered with Earned micro family influencers to drive a crescendo of content, capturing children’s excitement and showcasing the repeat and caring play
Created authentic commercial content partnerships with key Instagram parenting influencers – Louise Pentland and Christine McGuinness – highlighting their children’s joy while driving clicks to sale
Robust and targeted media relations campaign to land coverage as early as possible ahead of top toy list selections
Results
Smashed all expectations:
193 pieces of coverage
Reach of 988.5M
40 earned influencer posts
9 commercial content posts
The campaign results helped to secure inclusion on the following “top toys for Christmas” lists:
ITV1’s This Morning – including on-air demo
Smyths Toys
The Dream Toys Top 12
Overall, the brand exceeded sales targets:
Mama Surprise named #4 top-selling new toy* based on retail sales
Mama Surprise took #1 in Special Feature Plush*
Overall, LLP achieved a +515% YOY growth in Special Feature Plush*
Mama Surprise was #23 in Top Total Toys
* UK NPD, Dec 2022